Building a global design team
Design Operations
Built a global design team from the ground up, redefining the role of creative and bringing structure, consistency and direction to how design operates across the organisation.
Centralised global
design function
Improved speed, quality
and consistency
Shift from reactive to structured delivery
Increased trust
across teams
A fragmented and reactive creative setup
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Design was decentralised across regions, with no shared standards or ownership. Output was inconsistent, often off brand and driven by local interpretation rather than a global direction.
No central ownership
Design sat within local teams, with no global alignment or clear accountability
Inconsistent output
Quality varied across regions, with no shared standards or brand control
Reactive delivery
Work was driven by ad-hoc requests, with no structure or prioritisation
Low perception of design
Seen as support rather than a strategic function, with limited influence
solution
Bringing structure and ownership to creative
The focus was on centralising creative, improving quality and shifting how design was perceived across the organisation.
Centralising the function
Established a global design team to replace siloed local support, creating a single point of ownership for creative output
Shifting the role of design
Moved the team away from reactive, admin-style support towards more focused, higher impact work aligned to company growth
Evolving capability
Identified the need to move from generalist output to more specialised work, introducing templates and shared assets to reduce low-value tasks
Hiring and structure
Built a team of five designers, hiring the majority and shaping a balanced group of generalists to support wide-ranging needs
Setting standards
Introduced brand guidelines, templates and quality checks to improve consistency across all markets
Building trust over time
Worked closely with marketing and senior stakeholders to shift perception, demonstrating the value of structured creative delivery
Driving measurable improvements in delivery and quality
RESULTS
The team improved output, quality and visibility, creating a more reliable and scalable creative function.
200%
increase
Creative output scaled through centralisation and clearer ownership
75%
reduction
Revision cycles reduced through improved standards, alignment and review processes
15
territories aligned
Revision cycles reduced through improved standards, alignment and review processes
100%
centralised
All creative requests moved into a single system, improving visibility, tracking and prioritisation across teams
Consistent output
Shared standards improved quality and alignment across regions
Better collaboration
Teams adapted to new ways of working, leading to clearer briefs and more effective feedback
Increased trust
Senior stakeholders and leadership recognised the value of a centralised creative function
Stronger perception
Design moved from reactive support to a recognised function with direction and influence
Shifting creative into a trusted and scalable function
Foundation for growth
The team structure supported ongoing demand and enabled further investment in design
All creative requests moved into a single system, improving visibility, tracking and prioritisation across teams
IMPACT
Tools
Asana
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Teams
Bamboo